2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Darren Soto?
What they did in office.
Sitting member of Congress · Darren Soto
In the U.S. House (FL-9) since 2017 · current term ends Jan 3, 2027
- Recorded yea or nay on 24 of the 24 key House floor votes captured in Hugin's snapshot
- 2 committees: Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources · 4 subcommittees
- 411 committees reported contributions to them this cycle · 2 committees reported outside spending for or against them
Linked to this filing by its exact FEC candidate ID (H6FL09179) in the congress-legislators roster of Oct 21, 2026. Votes are one key floor vote per bill on bills named in contractor lobbying reports (Oct 29, 2026); committee seats are the roster as of Oct 24, 2026; money counts are FEC reports for 2026 as of Oct 24, 2026. These are what Hugin's snapshots captured, not complete records, and none of them is a score or evidence of motive.
The money.
- Raised
- $3.6M
- Spent
- $3.4M
- Cash on hand
- $250K
- Individuals 43% $1.6M
- PACs & other committees 56% $2.1M
- Party committees 0.2% $5,720
- Other receipts 0.2% $5,727
Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026. Excludes $22K moved between the candidate's own committees.
Outside groups: $41K supporting · $0 opposing ($41K of it designated for the general election)
Biggest spenders supporting
Largest direct PAC contributions
- NORPAC $19K
- AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $15K
- MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS $10K
- NATIONAL RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION AMERICA'S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES PAC $10K
- AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEONS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $10K
Who gave.
Who gives $1.6M from individuals
6% in small-dollar gifts
$88K of $1.6M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
The itemized gifts below add up to $727K of the $1.5M the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jul 29, 2026 for this campaign.
33% from Florida · 67% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
76% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Florida $241K
- New York $87K
- California $78K
- Massachusetts $73K
- Texas $60K
- District of Columbia $46K
- Maryland $19K
- Puerto Rico $19K
Top employers named by donors
- AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD LLP $5,500
- FULCRUM PUBLIC AFFAIRS $5,500
- AVENUE SOLUTIONS $2,500
- BGR GROUP $2,500
- NVG LLC $2,000
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $313K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $396K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 1, 2025 to Jul 29, 2026, net of refunds (593 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $542K for / $698K against · $540K in the final two weeks
That is $1.2M more than the $41K in regular reports alone. Source: FEC regular reports plus 24- and 48-hour reports they do not yet cover. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
$168K of the $1.3M on late reports was filed as an estimate. A 24- or 48-hour report is due within a day or two of the spending; the spender's later regular report carries the final cost.
What it bought, per the late reports
- TV, radio & streaming TV 31% $391K
- Digital ads 8% $96K
- Ads, medium not stated 0.9% $11K
- Mail, print & signs 26% $333K
- Phones & texts 4% $45K
- Canvassing & field 29% $365K
- Ad production 2% $25K
- Other or unclassified 0.1% $1,813
Largest late spenders for
Largest late spenders against
- NO GOING BACK PAC INC. $548K
- CIVIC RENEWAL FUND INC. $108K
- MAGA INC. $31K
- CONSERVATIVES FOR AMERICA PAC $11K
Latest dissemination on these reports: October 31, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (54 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $968K in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $968K of the $3.4M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jul 29, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 41% $393K
- Consultants & strategy 6% $60K
- Staff & payroll 0.9% $8,988
- Fundraising & processing fees 24% $234K
- Polling, research & data 2% $14K
- Travel, meals & events 15% $149K
- Office, technology & overhead 4% $34K
- Legal & compliance 7% $71K
- Contributions, transfers & refunds 0.3% $3,225
- Other or unclassified <0.1% $50
Largest payees
- DOYLE STRATEGIES, LLC $348K
- THE FROST GROUP $178K
- CAPITOL COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATES, INC. $61K
- DISNEY DESTINATIONS, LLC $51K
- THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY $36K
Paid to individuals: $97K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Jan 2, 2025 to Jul 29, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (715 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Thomas E. Colonel Chalifoux Jr.Republican · $3.2M raised · $97K outside
- Dan GreenRepublican · $2.7M raised · $27K outside
- Jorge MartinezRepublican · $1.0M raised
- Benjamin Ben ButlerRepublican · $461K raised
- Howard Steven RanceRepublican · $158K raised
- Justin StoryRepublican · $95K raised
- Jorge Antonio MalavetRepublican · $28K raised
- Gregory Marcus CarterRepublican · $23K raised
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.